Left:
The structure carved out of the rock behind Chris (known as
the Deir or Monastery), is incredibly huge. In fact, Paul has
never seen a photo do justice to any of the Petra monuments.
Middle: Paul and Chris met their Aussie friend Ben Griffin in
the customs station at Aqaba. He remained with them through
Jordan and for a day or so in Israel before heading to his home
in London. Here, he sits comfortably atop the "High Place
of Sacrifice" at Petra. Right: This may be familiar. No,
it's not a scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,
although this is where the finale sequences of that film were
shot. Behind the horse-drawn carriages is the monument known
as the Treasury as viewed through the Siq, a two kilometer winding
canyon that is the entrance to Petra.

Shawbak,
Jordan

The
first Crusader castle of the trip, Shawbak was falling apart
but made for some interesting exploring, especially for Chris
and Ben. Left: Woo hoo! You don't get to hang on to your fear
of heights very long if you're going to climb around these rocks.
Yep, that's Paul. Right: Chris poses in the midst of what may
very well have been a Crusader chapel.

Kerak,
Jordan

Kerak
Castle was by far the largest Crusader castle encountered on this
trip. It was just massive, reaching around the top of the entire
mountain and housing a museum that features ancient coins, amoung
other interesting artifacts.